Preprint Article Version 1 Preserved in Portico This version is not peer-reviewed

Who is More Likely to Complete the Appointments, and What Factors Determine the Appointment Wait Time?

Wafa K. Alnakhi
* ORCID logo ,
Heba Mamdouh
,
Hamid Y. Hussain
,
Mohamed S. Mudawi
,
Gamal M. Ibrahim
,
Amal J. Al Balushi
ORCID logo ,
Noora Al Zarooni
,
Abdulsalam Elnaeem
,
Nabil Natafgi
ORCID logo
Version 1 : Received: 28 November 2022 / Approved: 28 November 2022 / Online: 28 November 2022 (08:24:23 CET)

A peer-reviewed article of this Preprint also exists.

Alnakhi, W.K.; Mamdouh, H.; Hussain, H.Y.; Mudawi, M.S.; Ibrahim, G.M.; Al Balushi, A.J.; Al Zarooni, N.; Elnaeem, A.; Natafgi, N. Doctor for Every Citizen: Telehealth Visits at Dubai Health Authority during COVID-19 Pandemic in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Healthcare 2023, 11, 294. Alnakhi, W.K.; Mamdouh, H.; Hussain, H.Y.; Mudawi, M.S.; Ibrahim, G.M.; Al Balushi, A.J.; Al Zarooni, N.; Elnaeem, A.; Natafgi, N. Doctor for Every Citizen: Telehealth Visits at Dubai Health Authority during COVID-19 Pandemic in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Healthcare 2023, 11, 294.

Abstract

Background: Digital health significantly affects healthcare delivery. Moreover, empirical studies on the utilization of telehealth in Dubai are limited. Accordingly, this study examines the utilization of telehealth services in Dubai Health Authority (DHA) facilities and the factors associated with telehealth appointment completion and turnaround time. Methods: This cross-sectional study examines patients who used telehealth services in DHA from 2020 through 2021 using 241,822 records. A binary logistic regression model was constructed to investigate the association between appointment turnaround time as a dependent variable and patient and visit characteristics as independent variables. Results: Of the total scheduled telehealth visits, more than three-quarter (78.55%) were completed. Older patients, non-Emiratis, patients who had their visits in 2020, patients who had video visits, and those who sought family medicine as a specialty had a shorter turn-around time to receive their appointment. Conclusions: This study identifies several characteristics associated with the turn-around time. Moreover, technological improvements focusing on specialties that can readily be addressed through telehealth and further research in this domain will improve service provision and support building an evidence base.

Keywords

Telehealth; telemedicine; Dubai Health Authority (DHA); wait time; turn-around time; appointment completion

Subject

Public Health and Healthcare, Public Health and Health Services

Copyright: This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Download PDF

Comments (0)

We encourage comments and feedback from a broad range of readers. See criteria for comments and our Diversity statement.

Leave a public comment
Send a private comment to the author(s)
* All users must log in before leaving a comment
Views 0
Downloads 0
Comments 0
Metrics 0
Get PDF Cite Share 0
Bookmark BibSonomy Mendeley Reddit Delicious
×
Alerts
Notify me about updates to this article or when a peer-reviewed version is published.
We use cookies on our website to ensure you get the best experience.
Read more about our cookies here.